🇬🇧United Kingdom · Places to discover
What to see in Cambridge?
21 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Landmarks & heritage
6 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Bridge of Sighs (St John's College)
Neo-Gothic covered bridge from 1831 spanning the Cam, inspired by its Venetian namesake. An iconic sight from the Kitchen Bridge, particularly sublime at dusk when lights dance across the water.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Wren Library
Christopher Wren's Baroque library houses manuscripts by Newton and Milne. The interior is open to visitors on select afternoons—a rare privilege.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Mathematical Bridge
This wooden bridge at Queens' College, built in 1749, is surrounded by legends about its construction without bolts. The view from the riverbank is a living Cambridge postcard.
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Landmark
The Eagle Pub
Sixteenth-century pub where Watson and Crick announced the discovery of DNA's structure in 1953. The RAF Room's ceiling, covered in Second World War pilot signatures, is utterly captivating.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Trinity College Great Court
England's largest university courtyard, immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire. The apple tree descended from Isaac Newton's original stands in the Fellows' Garden.
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Landmark
Landmark
Corpus Christi College
The only college founded by Cambridge townspeople, established in 1352, it houses the Parker Library with the oldest surviving Old English manuscripts. The Old Court is the best-preserved medieval courtyard in the city.
Museums
2 places
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Museum
Fitzwilliam Museum
One of the world's finest university museums, with collections spanning Ancient Egypt to the Impressionists. Admission is free, and it's popular with locals on Sunday mornings.
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Museum
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
One of the world's oldest geological museums, housing fossils dating back 500 million years. Often overlooked in favour of the Fitzwilliam, it's nonetheless free and utterly fascinating.
Religious sites
2 places
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
Round Church (Holy Sepulchre)
One of only four Norman round churches still standing in England, dating from 1130. Often overlooked by hurried tourists, it is nonetheless one of the city's oldest monuments.
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
King's College Chapel
A masterpiece of 15th-century Perpendicular Gothic architecture, its fan vaults rank among the finest in England. Visit early in the morning to avoid crowds and experience the striking light filtering through the stained glass.
Nature
6 places
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Nature
Anglesey Abbey and Lode Mill
National Trust property 10 km away, featuring a working watermill and 114 hectares of gardens. Spring hyacinths and autumn dahlias make it a place of pilgrimage for locals.
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5Nature
Parker's Piece
Vast grassy expanse in the city centre where the modern rules of football are said to have been codified in 1848. Still buzzing with impromptu matches, ideal for observing Cambridge life unfold.
13Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Nature
Jesus Green Lido
Open-air lido of 90 metres dating from 1923, the longest in Europe. Open May to September, it's where locals congregate on those rare sunny English days.
14Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5Nature
Midsummer Common
Large open space beside the Cam where locals picnic and play cricket. An authentic hub away from the tourist trail, with fine views of the college spires.
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Nature
Grantchester Meadows
Meadows lining the Cam towards the village of Grantchester, a favourite walk for students for centuries. Rupert Brooke and Virginia Woolf strolled here — an hour's walk from the centre.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Nature
The Backs
The rear gardens of the colleges lining the Cam offer one of the world's most picturesque university vistas. Explore on foot or by punt to see Trinity, Clare and King's at their best.
Parks & gardens
1 place
17Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Park
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Forty hectares of botanical gardens founded in 1831 by John Stevens Henslow, Darwin's mentor. Perfect for a green escape from the town centre crowds, it's beautiful in every season.
Activities
3 places
18Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Activity
Cambridge Market Square
Daily market at the heart of town since medieval times, ringed by the Guildhall and Great St Mary's. Saturday mornings see it truly come alive with local producers and artisans.
19Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Activity
Kettle's Yard
The former home of Tate curator Jim Ede, now transformed into a living art gallery. Modern art mingles with everyday objects in a unique domestic atmosphere—a genuine local gem.
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Activity
Activity
Punting on the Cam (Scudamore's)
Hire a punt to glide beneath the college bridges — an essential Cambridge experience. Scudamore's is the historic operator since 1910 — opt for self-hire over guided tours.
More to discover
1 place
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Place
Mill Road
Multicultural thoroughfare in south-east Cambridge, where Ethiopian, Turkish and Indian groceries sit alongside secondhand bookshops and independent cafés. The beating heart of Cambridge away from the colleges.
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